Cedric Grolet is the most famous pastry chef in the world, the executive pastry chef of Le Meurice in Paris and a global sensation known for desserts that look uncannily like real fruit. Repeatedly named the world’s best pastry chef, he has transformed the way haute patisserie is seen, turning the pastry counter of a Paris palace hotel into a destination in its own right.
With his trompe-l’oeil fruit sculptures and his reinventions of French classics, Grolet has built an enormous following and helped make pastry one of the most talked-about corners of modern gastronomy.
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TL;DR
- French pastry chef, born 28 August 1985
- Executive pastry chef at Le Meurice in Paris since around 2011
- Repeatedly named the World’s Best Pastry Chef
- Famous for hyper-realistic trompe-l’oeil fruit desserts
- Opened his own patisserie boutiques in Paris and beyond
Cedric Grolet key facts
| Born | 28 August 1985, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Role | Executive pastry chef, Le Meurice, Paris |
| Known for | Trompe-l’oeil fruit desserts |
| Honours | World’s Best Pastry Chef (multiple) |
Rise at Le Meurice
Cedric Grolet joined the pastry team at Le Meurice, part of the Dorchester Collection, in 2011 and swiftly rose to head the department. Working in one of Paris’s great palace hotels gave him the platform to develop an entirely personal style, and within a few years he had become one of the most decorated pastry chefs in the world.
The fruit sculptures
Grolet’s signature is the trompe-l’oeil fruit: a dessert that looks exactly like a lemon, apple, hazelnut or fig but is in fact an intricate pastry. He moulds a thin shell of white chocolate and airbrushes it to mimic the colour and texture of the real fruit, filling it with fresh fruit, ganache and confit. Alongside these, he reinterprets French classics with the same obsessive precision.
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Awards and boutiques
Grolet has been showered with honours – Best Pastry Chef of the Year by Le Chef in 2015, the Relais Desserts award in 2016, the Omnivore pastry award in 2017 and Gault Millau’s best pastry chef in 2018 – and is widely referred to simply as the world’s best pastry chef. In 2018 he opened his first boutique at the hotel, and his tea time and pastry counters have become among the most sought-after in Paris.
Signature style
Grolet’s work is defined by precision, realism and a deep respect for fruit. He pares desserts back to pure, clean flavours while pushing technique to extraordinary lengths, creating pastries that are as astonishing to look at as they are to eat. His influence on a whole generation of pastry chefs has been immense.
Cedric Grolet in context
Grolet is the most prominent of a golden generation of French pastry chefs featured on Pickup Table 4, alongside Francois Perret and Maxime Frederic.
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Cedric Grolet FAQ
Who is Cedric Grolet?
A French pastry chef widely regarded as the best in the world, based at Le Meurice in Paris.
What is he famous for?
Hyper-realistic desserts that look exactly like real fruit.
Where does he work?
As executive pastry chef at Le Meurice, and at his own Paris boutiques.
What awards has he won?
Repeatedly named the world’s best pastry chef by leading guides.
How does he make the fruit desserts?
By moulding and airbrushing thin white-chocolate shells filled with fruit and cream.
